Olmec Symposium and Exhibit In Austin

The unveiling of a gift replica 9-ton colossal stone Olmec head on Nov 19, at the University of Texas’ Mexican Center of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS), in Austin, Texas is such a big deal, that it spawned a free, two-day Olmec Symposiumon Nov. 20 and 21. It’s the first major Olmec symposium since the one held in 1996 at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C and it brings together a world of Olmec scholars.

They’ll reveal the latest discoveries about Mexico’s“Mother Culture” as it is often called, which flourished 1500–400 BCE.

The colossal head, that started it all, is a gift of the Universidad Veracruzana at Xalapa, Mexico to LLILAS, where it will be installed amidst great fanfare. It’s one of several such “gifts” in the U.S. The colossal heads are only part of the Olmec mystery, but an eternally intriguing one. Seventeen of them have been unearthed to date. See photos of all the heads and their diverse appearance at: http://tinyurl.com/6coayeThe replica head being presented to LLILAS is of San Lorenzo Monument 1 “El Rey” considered a signature piece of pre-Columbian Olmec culture. What a clever and unforgettable “calling card” for Mexico’s vast pre-Hispanic cultures, and one of the most elusive of them all, the Olmec.

The enigmatic Olmec have provided such deeply buried clues that I never expected to learn much more about them my lifetime. Besides the unknowns of Olmec daily life and beliefs and mystery of their link to other Mesoamerican cultures, the Olmec left behind amazing stone sculptures, primarily in the state of Veracruz, but little in the way of pyramidal structures or writing. To my relief, scholars have been digging and unraveling some of the Olmec mysteries and will tell all at the symposium.

Here’s a sample of specific topics and participating scholars:

- Votive Axes and Celts in Formative Mesoamerica – John E. Clark, Brigham Young University

- Thrones – Ann Cyphers, Director of Research at La Venta

- Olmec-inspired Influences on the Nature of Early Maya Divine Kingship – Virginia Fields, Curator of Pre-Columbian Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

- Flesh of God: Maize and the Consolidation of Power in Mesoamerica – David Freidel, Maya scholar andProfessor in Anthropology, Southern Methodist University

- A Glimpse at Olmec Rituals at La Venta, Tabasco – Rebecca González Lauck, Director of Research at La Venta

Other preeminent Olmec scholars have also been invited to attend, so this could be a chance to meet the most knowledgeable experts on this topic.

Students of Mexico’s museums and culture already know that the exquisite Museo Antropologia in Xalapahttp://tinyurl.com/6e7htq is the primary repository of Olmec remains, and rewards any visitor who sees it.